As Dev Rai and his teammates at Oakton High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, worked on a DECA project that aimed to launch a financial literacy initiative, they realized how few existed for some of the youngest students.
It was a surprising observation, Rai said, given research suggests 鈥渕any of the habits, such as having patience and gratitude, actually start at” the elementary school level. So Rai, Austin Chen and Ayush Ranjan worked to address that by creating a book.
Called 鈥淭he Seed That Grows,鈥� the book emphasizes the importance and value of saving, among other things. The trio wrote the storyline and created the images, and the book has now been distributed across Fairfax County elementary schools and to various countries abroad.
鈥淔or being able to be financially stable, you have to have those basic skills about not just spending money whenever you get a chance, but actually having that basic discipline in order to save it or wait awhile,鈥� Rai said.
The book, Rai said, uses a metaphor of a seed to discuss saving, investing and delayed gratification. It tells the story of two kids who each get a seed: one who decides to plant it and wait for a tree to grow, and the other who traded the seed for a piece of candy, a short-term goal.
As the story progresses, the contrast between thinking in the near and long terms is revealed, Rai said.
The group raised over $1,000 for the project and 274 books were distributed at 12 nearby Fairfax County schools and five international schools.
Because their adviser has connections at the World Bank, Rai said translated versions of the book made it to India, China, Kazakhstan and Australia.
They also hosted several read-aloud sessions, asking students to participate in surveys before and afterward.
鈥淲e saw a 74% in understanding,鈥� Rai said.
Now, they鈥檙e planning to take the same concepts used in the book and turn them into a financial literacy game, Rai said.
The hope, Rai said, is students will develop 鈥渉abit-based learning in order to instill their success and their discipline and their financial success when they grow up and manage their finances.鈥�
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